It's A Wonderful Ocean
by CJS51703
Summary: An overworked and under-appreciated SpongeBob wishes that he had never moved to Bikini Bottom. He gets to see just what the city looks like without him, and he realizes that you should be careful what you wish for. Spandy, but that's not a main focus.
1. Chapter 1

*****This is a plot bunny I've been cuddling for quite a while now. First SpongeBob story, so be kind! All rights go to Stephen Hillenburg.**

Chapter One: The Best Day Ever...Um, No

It was a day before the Krusty Krab's Eleventy-Seventh Anniversary party which meant a certain fry cook was working his square butt off. Who is the fry cook? Why, it's SpongeBob SquarePants. He had been assigned nearly all of the ground work for the party. "SpongeBob, me boy! Have ya gone out and bought those decorations I asked ye to?" Mr. Krabs asked, suddenly coming into the kitchen. He was only interested in one thing: the money made off of Krabby Patties. "I'm going to, sir, just let me finish cleaning the kitchen." Okay, so the excuse was sounding pretty fake. SpongeBob decided it would be best to give the real reason behind his procrastination. "I also think that more than a quarter will be needed to buy everything. I might need some more money." Krabs's eyes widened at the thought. "More money?! You're not becoming some sort of freeloader, are ye?! Go out and make do with what ya have!" he forced. Then he left the kitchen. SpongeBob sighed as he put away his cleaning supplies. Oh, well. Such treatment was usual nowadays. Then in through the door came Patrick. He skipped inside with an idiotic grin on his face before noticing the tired sponge behind the grill. Patrick's expression hardened as he slammed SpongeBob against the wall! "Ow!" the fry cook yelped in pain. "The big red sweaty guy you work for put me in charge of security. Now I'm on the lookout for any suspicious figures," the tubby starfish explained. He seemed pretty happy despite having slammed his best friend into a solid wall. "That's great, now can you let me go? I'm very busy today," SpongeBob managed to say. Patrick released his grip and started to leave before requesting a Krabby Patty. His request was granted and he sat out front. SpongeBob was ready to go home despite it barely being two-thirty. The day had just been that rough. So rough that a normally-relaxing Texan-accented voice didn't calm his nerves. It was his girlfriend Sandy. "Hey, Sponge. Why're y'all so depressed?" she asked. "It's just been a long day of preparations. It seems like everybody's trying to drive me crazy," SpongeBob sighed. Instead of hearing a word of comfort, he got the exact opposite. "Maybe you shouldn't have volunteered to help with everything for the party," Sandy said. She found herself on the receiving end of an annoyed glare. "I'm in charge of organizing this thing. I had no choice but to volunteer. And it would be nice if someone gave me a hand instead of giving me everything else!" SpongeBob ranted. He wasn't aware that people were watching the scene unfold. "If y'all would just get off your whole 'woe is me' trail, then maybe you'd see that we're trying to!" Sandy retorted. "Y'know, trying to help doesn't cut it any more! It would be nice if someone decided to _help_ for once! But no, let's just let the fry cook juggle every responsibility with no help from his boss, best friend, or even his own girlfriend!" With that, SpongeBob stormed out of the restaurant. Everyone watching froze in shock at this sudden outburst. The sponge wandered off to Jellyfish Fields, found a big rock. and plonked down behind it. "There are some days I wish that I never even came here." The he looked up at the sky. "Ya hear that?! I wish that I never came to Bikini Bottom!" "You sure?" The voice made SpongeBob jump. He recognized the visitor. It was Princess Mindy. She was older now than when she "helped" the boys get to Shell City. "Someone who won't drive me up a wall," SpongeBob grumbled under his breath before speaking up. "Yes, I would." His tone made his wish sound serious now. Princess Mindy sighed but listened. "Alright. Close your eyes, turn around three times, and say your wish again," she instructed. SpongeBob did just that. When he opened his eyes, he was shocked beyond measure.

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	2. Chapter 2

*****Well, here it is. The second chapter. All rights go to Stephen Hillenburg.**

Chapter Two: Planktopolis

Industrial. That's the first thing that came to SpongeBob's mind after opening his eyes. The whole field had been converted into a highway and parking lot. Trash was scattered everywhere. The highway walls were covered in graffiti. Cracked pavement in the lot hinted that no one had used it in years. "Here we are. Bikini Bottom without you, also known as Planktopolis," Princess Mindy said grimly. It hinted at who the head of this city was. The two stood there until a fish named Fred approached them. Around his neck was a metallic shock collar. "What are you doing out of city limits at the time of the day?" Fred asked monotonously. SpongeBob cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Why do you say that? Where do I have to be at three in the afternoon?" he asked. Then there was a steely cold grip on his right arm. "How did you disable your shock collar? Master Plankton will not be pleased with your absence, especially on Taxation Day," Fred said. This whole conversation was confusing. He didn't look as if he was going to say another word on the matter, so SpongeBob turned to Princess Mindy for clarification. "What in the heck is he talking about? What's Taxation Day?" he asked in a low voice. "You'll see," was the only answer that was given. So the three continued their trip into the city. Many citizens were building statues while the others walked around as appointed supervisors. All of them wore gray uniforms with the Chum Bucket logo across the front. The whole town was dismal and depressing. SpongeBob kept lookout for anyone he knew and came across a shocking sight: the Krusty Krab had been condemned. Boards were rotted, the furniture inside was falling apart, and the glass was cracked. And outside of it sat Mr. Krabs. His clothes were tattered and torn beyond recognition. Everyone passing by ignored his pleas for spare change. SpongeBob was being pulled along too fast to say a word to his old boss. "Come on. He won't recognize you anyways," Princess Mindy reminded. Finally, the threesome reached their destination: the Chum Bucket. There was a small line leading out of the double doors. Everyone in line seemed nervous to be there. Almost as if their lives depended on it. And who would be standing outside the doors but Squidward? "Name?" he asked. "Oh, come on, you know who I am! SpongeBob SquarePants!" the quirky sponge replied. "There is no one named 'SpongeBob SquarePants' by the town records. You will have to see Master Plankton. Go, the seastar inside will show you where you need to go," Squidward ordered. His voice was montonous, just like Fred's. "Hey Mindy, how come no one's spoken to you?" SpongeBob asked. "They can't see me, but they can see you," the princess in question explained. The pair walked inside of the Chum Bucket. There was probably the most surprising sight of the day: everyone inside was eating Krabby Patties! "Because the Krusty Krab is closed!" SpongeBob realized. He continued a quiet trek to where only Patrick was standing. "Halt! Who are you?" he demanded with hard expression. This was definitely a different Patrick. "Squidward told me to visit you, something about not being in the town records. Apparently you'll take me where I need to go," SpongeBob explained. His former best friend lead him behind another set of double doors, past a set of stairs that went down somewhere, and into an office at the back. There, upon a little throne in the seat of a normal-sized throne, sat Plankton. Patrick left to go back out to his post. SpongeBob stood stock-still for a moment. Everything made sense now! The Krabby Patties, the shock collars, everyone's uniforms, all of it! "Plankton." The name hung in the air until the one in question spoke. "I think there's a 'Master' in there somewhere. And where's your payment? It _is_ Taxation Day, after all," he reminded. "I owe you nothing. You've ruined Bikini Bottom single-handedly!" SpongeBob exclaimed. Plankton raised his eyebrow. "Bikini Bottom? This is Planktopolis, cheesehead. Anyone without a payment goes downstairs. Patrick!" Plankton called. The pink starfish knew his cue. He forced SpongeBob down the set of stairs and locked him into what felt like a prison cell. All was silent until another voice asked, "What're you in for?" It was Sensei Fuzzy. He was also clad in the same Chum Bucket uniform. He looked as if he'd been down here for years. "No payment. You?" SpongeBob asked. "I wanted my students to rebel against Master Plankton, but he intercepted our plans and brainwashed all of the weaker ones. My strongest-willed one...she's confined to the grill," Sensei Fuzzy explained. He went and sat in the corner of the spacious cell, facing the wall. "Guess who she is," Princess Mindy said. "Sandy," SpongeBob gasped. She had outsmarted Plankton once before. Why hadn't she done it again? "I have to go see her," SpongeBob declared. He sounded more defiant than he had during his conversation with Plakton. "Alright. But you're only wasting our time. We don't have longer here if you want to go back home!" Princess Mindy warned. She promised to meet SpongeBob outside and left. The sponge, now free, ran in search of his dear friend.

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	3. Chapter 3

*****Well, we've just passed the halfway point of the story. But don't worry, I've already got an idea for my next story. All rights go to Stephen Hillenburg. Without further ado, here's the next chapter!**

Chapter Three: Culinary Confinement

It was hard getting to the kitchen undetected. But most of the fish working at the Chum Bucket were brain-dead already, making them easy to sneak past. The kitchen was miserable which made SpongeBob feel sorry for everyone working there. But what brought him to a stop was seeing Sandy. She was working madly to prepare the Krabby Patties. She wore a tattered-beyond-recognition Chum Bucket uniform. The formula SpongeBob had recalled her making, one that could enable her to breathe underwater, had been finished because she didn't have her suit. The saddest part about her? Her expression. It read that she had been trapped in this prison for years, working endlessly to please her greedy master. She was just a shell of her old self. "Oh, Sandy..." SpongeBob trailed off. "Who are you?" she asked, clearly not used to speaking as her voice was hardly above a whisper. "SpongeBob Squarepants. Someone you used to know," he answered. He took note of the red button on the grill and knew he had to play his cards well. "I never knew anyone by that name. Never," Sandy said. She tried to continue cooking but found herself interrupted. "Come with me. I can free you. We can leave Planktopolis and live a better life!" SpongeBob offered. He was attempting to stay inconspicuous but found that rather hard. "But Master Plankton will execute us both!" Sandy pointed out. She was becoming scared of this stranger. At the same time, his ideas were so...unique. Unlike anything ever heard before. "Forget Plankton. You're being worked into another life by someone who hates you! In your heart, you'll find that you want to leave." SpongeBob could've sworn that the Sandy he knew was looking back at him for a moment. But she disappered after slamming the red button on the grill. The sounds of an alarm were heard. SpongeBob clumsily but quickly left the kitchen. He knew that someone would be after him. Why? The sounds of multiple fish running after him were heard. The sponge zipped outside to his princess friend. "Can we go back now? Please, I'm being chased!" SpongeBob exclaimed. The mob was heard coming closer and closer to the pair. "I can try to find enough magic to bring us back safely," Princess Mindy said, digging through the purse that she had. The back doors of the Chum Bucket slammed open. "There he is!" a fish near the back yelled. "Get him!" another ordered. The mob formed a circle. SpongeBob looked in horror to see that Princess Mindy was fading away. "Don't worry," she assured softly. "Soon everything will lock, you'll become accustomed to this new reality. Soon." SpongeBob fell to his knees and curled up on the ground. "I wish I was back at home! I'm sorry for snapping at everyone! PLEASE, DEAR NEPTUNE, I WISH I WAS BACK AT HOME!" Then everything went dead silent.

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	4. Chapter 4

*****Well, here we are. The final chapter. All rights go to Stephen Hillenburg.**

Chapter 4: You Can't Beat Home Sweet Home

"I wish I was back at home..." SpongeBob mumbled. Then his eyes shot open. Instead of being attacked by a mob of brainwashed fish, he was against a big rock in Jellyfish Fields. He was about to give a cheer of relief when he spotted a note by his foot. It read:

 _SpongeBob,_

 _I'm glad you learned that a guy like you makes a big difference in a lot of lives. You even reversed the spell! Now, go on and enjoy the party._

 _-Mindy_

"The party!" SpongeBob gasped. He picked up the note before running happily back to town. He was grateful for every bit of it; Planktopolis had been an industrial nightmare. "Yay! The Krusty Krab isn't condemned!" SpongeBob's outburst of joy earned everyone's attention. Wasn't this the same guy who'd blown up earlier today? He spotted Patrick. "And Patrick! Thank Neptune you don't work for Plankton!" The tubby seastar accepted the enthusiasm. "All right, you don't hate us any more!" he said. After shocking everyone with his newfound joy, SpongeBob knew there was still one more person he needed to see. She was sitting at a table near the window. "Sandy!" With that, SpongeBob straight-on kissed her. In front of everyone! The squirrel girl backed off. That was only so she could return the favor harder. "Kiss like you mean it, Sponge," she said. "And what in tarnation happened to you while you were gone? You hated us all not long ago." SpongeBob considered explaining his visit to Planktopolis and everything he saw, but that was a long story. Finally, he answered, "Let's just say it's a wonderful ocean."

 *****That seems to be about it. I hope you all enjoyed it. Sorry for the shorter chapter, it was honestly the best way for me to end it. Anyways, reviews appreciated! Bye!**


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